The first time Carol Holstead, Associate Professor at the University of Kansas, got on stage, she “knew why actors act.”
After a lifetime of off-and-on acting, Holstead realized that she would always go back to it. She describes the feeling of being on stage similar to the endorphin high that you get from a thorough workout. Holstead emphasizes the importance of making time for something you love, no matter the sacrifices you have to make in order to do such.
“We all need to make some art,” Holstead said.
Whether your art takes a half hour or up to 15 hours of rehearsal, it’s crucial to get out there and do it.
Holstead has been acting since before she can remember. Ever since Holstead stepped on the stage at her first production, she knew this was for her. For some people, their hobbies might be a phase but for Holstead, her hobby is the only constant in her life.
She describes the rush she gets when she walks on stage as being comparable to that of a good workout.
After pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Journalism at Kansas State University, Holstead was not quite ready to give up acting in her student life.
She decided to stay at Kansas State University to earn a Masters in theater. During her Masters at Kansas State University, her days were filled with acting. Now that teaching consumes most of her time, Holstead notes that it feels “really good” to make time for acting. It’s her escape from reality for those few hours every day. When talking about acting, whether it be improv or scripted, Holstead has a glow about her face. Transitioning from acting-filled days to lecture-filled days wasn’t easy for Holstead.
Upon her arrival in Lawrence, her goal was to share her passion of magazine writing with students at the University of Kansas. Although she came to Lawrence to teach, she found a home at EMU Theatre in 2010. There, Dan Born was drawn to her. After having roles in many of his productions, Holstead eagerly read Born’s original monologue about the story of Joan Vollmer, the common-law wife of William Burroughs, a beat writer during World War II. Since Holstead had previously performed in comedic plays for Born such as Shel’s Shorts, he was pleasantly surprised by Holstead’s ability to channel Joan’s character.
During the initial reading of the monologue, Holstead “had [the crowd] in the palm of her hand,” Born said.
His surprise did not come from her ability to effortlessly switch between comedy and drama but instead from the “specific and convincing” character she had made out of Born’s monologue. When speaking of Holstead’s work at EMU, Born seems to be captivated by her performances.
She acts now as though she never stopped. If she’s not currently invested in a production, Holstead is “acting” to herself at home. This is where her improvisation side comes out.
When asked whether she prefers improv or scripted, Holstead could not answer. Each type requires rehearsal in order to succeed. Improv is described as playing a game. Holstead says her brain goes “white-hot” when an improv scene starts. The whole audience’s eyes are on you, waiting to see what you come up with. Although many exercises go into the preparation for every improv show, there is only so much preparing an actor can do.
While most peoples’ hobbies must wait until after a full day of work, Holstead doesn’t hold back in the classroom. Holstead confides that she uses acting skills while in front of her hundreds of students everyday. She bounces around the room, clearly performing for her “audience” comprised of students. Her classroom acting is mostly attributed to playing off her clumsiness, she admits.
Even though this appears to be unscripted, Holstead says she thinks before she says or does anything; everything is intentional.
Carol plans to continue her passion for acting for the rest of her life, no matter the platform.
As her mother once said, “you can quit acting but you’ll never get over it.”
Kelly Davis 